Organized For Lifehttps://www.org4life.com
Less clutter. More life.Tue, 18 Dec 2018 21:42:03 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.939905154Think of your Future Self as a Dear Friendhttps://www.org4life.com/future-self/
https://www.org4life.com/future-self/#commentsMon, 17 Dec 2018 15:51:31 +0000https://www.org4life.com/?p=11025Do you routinely procrastinate even small tasks? Do you have a hard time reaching goals and creating new habits? Do

Do you routinely procrastinate even small tasks? Do you have a hard time reaching goals and creating new habits? Do you beat yourself up about it?

Maybe it will help to think of your Future Self as a Dear Friend.

Do something today that your Future Self will thank you for.Click To Tweet

Why is self-care so hard sometimes? I find that most people (including myself) treat their friends better than they treat themselves. And give them better advice.

And why do we procrastinate? Because (for one thing) delayed gratification is hard! Most of us, at any given moment, would much rather do something to satisfy our current self than do what would benefit our future self.

I think self-care and procrastination go hand-in-hand.

Self-care experts suggest treating yourself as if you were a child, or a dear friend. All too often we criticize ourselves and feel guilty, instead of speaking to ourselves kindly and patiently, and doing what would be constructive or helpful.

Example: Having a frustrating work day.

Negative self-talk: I suck! But I have so much more work to do. Must…keep…going…

Caring advice to a Dear Friend: Oh, sweetie! Why don’t you take a break? Take a walk, get something to eat. Then come back to your work refreshed.

And procrastination experts advise thinking of your future self when deciding what to do next and what to let slide.

Example: Sink full of dirty dishes.

Thinking only of your Current Self: Ugh! I don’t feel like doing the dishes tonight. I’m going to bed!

Thinking of your Future Self: Remember how nice it is to wake up to a clean kitchen? I don’t want my Future Self to walk in and think, “Ugh” first thing in the morning! I think I’ll do the dishes right now and get it over with.

Example: Important project you’ve been putting off.

Thinking only of your Current Self: My brain hurts. I think I’ll just watch TV instead.

Thinking of your Future Self: OK, time to get clear about why this project is important (or eliminate or simplify it); break it down into do-able steps; ask for help if I need it; and get started.

What are your long-term goals? A year from now your Future Self will wish your Current Self had started today.Click To Tweet

Can you think of times when it would be helpful to think of your Future Self?

“But wait…you’re an organizer, and a genealogist. Haven’t you already shared your family history with your family?”

Well…yes and no…

How do you share your family history with your family? Here’s what I’ve tried. And what I’m trying next.Click To Tweet

I am not the only genealogist who finds it difficult to get her own family interested in her research, and to share it with them effectively. Many of us are retired and/or childless, so we also worry about who will care about, and preserve, and maybe even continue, our research when we die. I’ll address that a future post. Meanwhile, I’ll tell you why it can be difficult to share genealogy data with family members. I’ll also share my new plan for how to do it.

Why sharing family history can be a challenge

Here’s what I’ve tried over the years:

I’ve sent my family members copies of books about our family. Thorntons in North Carolina: The Quaker family is a well-sourced genealogy written by my “genealogy cousin” Kenneth Jacob Thornton (translation: a distant cousin I met only through our mutual research, pre-Ancestry, RIP Ken). Charity Cook: A Liberated Woman, by Algie I. Newlin, is about my 5th great-grandmother, a Quaker minister whose husband Isaac stayed home with their 11 children when she traveled! Charity Cook is easy enough to read, but Thorntons in North Carolina is much longer, and hard to follow if you don’t get the hang of Ahnentafel numbers. And, well, I suppose both of these books are more interesting to me because I was the one who did the research that connects our branch of the tree to theirs. The Crash of TWA Flight 260, by Charles M Williams, was somewhat more successful because we all (my generation and older) knew my grandfather, the leader of the search and rescue party. (See Mom’s Boxes Part 5: The Old Man of the Mountains.)

I’ve sent Ancestry guest invitations to my family members, so they could view my account. This has failed, on most of the occasions I’ve tried it, either due to user error (mine? theirs?) or to technology failure. Who can tell for sure, with everyone living in far-flung locations, all possessing different devices and varying degrees of technical proficiency, and with technology being so intermittently glitchy? Also, much explanation is required for what they should look for, and what they should ignore, once on the site, to take full advantage (without, however, being given full access and editing priveleges).

I’ve sent group emails with historical tidbits about our family. Wikipedia pages (an ancestor was a slave owner whose mansion is a NC historical site – yikes!); newspaper articles (such as the one confirming a family story that my grandparent’s home in Indiana was once a gangster hideout!); photos (love discovering new family resemblances!); DNA results (43% Irish!?); maps (for example, all NC locations of genealogical interest). Interesting, yes, but each puzzle piece is disconnected from the rest of the puzzle.

I’ve loaded documentation, stories, and photos into a shared Dropbox. Many of them had difficulty accessing this too. Maybe they didn’t try hard enough? I don’t know. And, even if they find their way in, it’s just an electronic pile of data files that mean far more to me than to them.

I could, of course, make them each a family history binder, like I do for clients. But it can only tell so much of the story. I want them to see the big picture, and perhaps find a less prominent branch of the tree that intrigues them to know more about.

Some of my family members are only interested in the THORNTON surname. Which, once I traced them back into the 1600s — still in colonial America — I ran into a brick wall that my “genealogy cousins” and I have yet to break through. But I am equally interested in CLAY, BYRD, PEARSON, TAYLOR, HARRIS, WILKINS, and HENDERSON (to limit myself to 2nd great-grandparents on my dad’s side, but only for the sake of brevity).

Conundrum: If my family members had enough interest, maybe they’d overcome the technology learning curve and click all the links. But how are they to become interested if I make them work too hard at it?

A new way (to me) of sharing family history

What I really wanted was a family website.

And I finally have one.

Well, a website in progress, anyway.

And a few more weeks to work on it (before Christmas).

And a lifetime to improve upon it. (But who knows how long I really have?)

I’ve started using a program called Tribal Pages. (I’m not vouching for it yet, I’m just trying it. I read some good reviews, but I am still skeptical and treating this as an experiment.) It’s free if you don’t mind ads and have fewer than 500 people on your tree. I had 700+ already and had to start with the paid version, but I got to do it on Cyber Monday, so half price. Score!

It will not be perfect by Christmas time (and, anyway, one’s family tree is never truly finished), but it will be better than what I’ve had to offer so far, which is data. Data on Ancestry, which is synced with Family Tree Maker on my computer. Data on various DNA websites. Additional data in my computer. Data on as-yet un-scanned-or-transcribed paper notes and documents.

To get started, all I had to do was to upload my GEDCOM file. Now to upload some photos and stories!

This will allow my family to poke around with no explanation necessary. The website format will be familiar to them. There will be no suggested (unproven) sources, or other people’s sometimes-misleading family trees, to distract them. And they can print their own “decorative family trees” and “ancestor fan charts”.

So, what’s this family website got to do with Mom’s Boxes?

Well, once I cleaned up the room where I plan to do the rest of the organizing and scanning, I hit a mental wall (in addition to life getting in the way on a regular basis, as it tends to do). When I thought about organizing and scanning, it was like…hmmm…to what end? How will I share these photos and other memorabilia with my family?

I always recommend to my clients that they have a goal in mind before we start an organizing project. It helps to determine next steps and provides motivation. I should listen to my own advice more often!

To be continued….

Do YOU have a family website? Which platform do you use? What do you (and your family) like, or dislike about it? What recommendations do you have for me (and for others)?

]]>https://www.org4life.com/sharing-family-history/feed/410984The guest-worthy & stress-free homehttps://www.org4life.com/house-guests/
https://www.org4life.com/house-guests/#commentsMon, 26 Nov 2018 14:58:43 +0000http://www.org4life.com/?p=9112Do you enjoy house guests? Or avoid them? Is your home guest-worthy? Does the thought of having people over cause

In New Mexico the holidays start with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in October! Many of us host visitors during that time. Some of us have friends and family who visit during the summertime, or during the winter holidays.

Even if no one’s spending the night, we might host parties and other celebrations throughout the year.

Or….we avoid company altogether because we are embarrassed about our clutter and our imperfect homes.

When expecting company, keep in mind: They are coming to see YOU, not your house.Click To Tweet

To take some of the stress out of entertaining, just keep these two things in mind:

1. They are coming to see YOU, not your house.

2. A little tidying goes a LONG way toward the appearance of a clean house. Seriously.

In this Resource Roundup I have gathered all my blog posts that pertain to creating a home you love, keeping it that way, and giving yourself a break. It’s all relative, of course; if your house is a mess by anyone’s standards, you might want to get some help cleaning it up. But sometimes it’s just a matter of relaxing your own standards a bit, so you can enjoy your guests with less stress.

I hope these tips will help you enjoy having company again, especially if you have been avoiding it!

Let me know what works for you, OK?

A little tidying goes a LONG way toward the appearance of a clean house. Seriously.Click To Tweet

]]>https://www.org4life.com/house-guests/feed/49112Always Believe in Yourselfhttps://www.org4life.com/always-believe/
https://www.org4life.com/always-believe/#commentsMon, 05 Nov 2018 14:41:59 +0000http://www.org4life.com/?p=4418Do you believe in yourself? Always? Or do you sometimes lose faith? Life is hard. We all go through tough

Life is hard. We all go through tough times personally, and lately it seems like the rest of the world is on the brink of disaster too.

Even if you generally have confidence, and strength, and a grateful, positive attitude… even if all of your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met, for the most part… everyone gets weary from time to time.

Are you trusting your own wings? Or are you just hoping the branch won’t break?Click To Tweet

So…I was thinking about this favorite quote (which is anonymous as far as I know):

A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because her trust is not on the branch, but on her own wings. Always believe in yourself.

The Accomplishment List

But first, have you ever done the exercise where you make a list of your past accomplishments to remind yourself how awesome you are, and to lift your spirits when needed?

It’s a worthwhile exercise, if you haven’t!

Just sit quietly, with pen and paper, and think about your life, starting when you were young. What do you remember doing that you are proud of? Write it down. Have you ever won an award? Developed a skill? Write them down. Did you earn a degree or certificate? Solve a problem? Raise children? Write them down. What did you help someone with that really made a difference? Write it down. Can you list 10 things? 50? Keep the list handy so you can refer to it, and add to it.

The Survival List

Well…(and here is my new idea)…I decided to make a list of unfortunate events that I have overcome — survived — in my life:

physical health issues

relationship breakups

career downsizing and lost job opportunities

death of a parent

sudden and extremely expensive car and home repairs

home burglaries

deaths of friends and pets

financial difficulties

Do these sound familiar to anyone else? I’m sure there’s more. I’ll add them to my private list as I think of them.

But….ack! Why on earth would I want to make such a depressing list?!?!

If something happens — and it always does (branches break) — I just think, “OK, what am I going to do about it?” (Trust my own wings, that’s what.) And, after a suitable period of feeling sorry for myself, if it’s something within my control, I take action.

Really, what’s to be afraid of? In some ways, hasn’t the worst already happened to most of us? And here we still are.

Which reminds me of another anonymous quote:

On particularly rough days when I’m sure I can’t possibly endure, I like to remind myself that my track record for getting through bad bays so far is 100% and that’s pretty good.

What have YOU overcome that makes you realize you really have nothing to worry about, or to be afraid of?

Extra points if you didn’t just endure the circumstances, but overcame them by using (or developing) your survival skills.

(If you are still worried and fearful, perhaps you need to consult The Worry Matrix.)

Please share with us in the comments. Or, if you prefer, just make your own private list.

Remember: Always believe in yourself!

And (quote origin debatable): Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.

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Copyright 2014-2018 by Hazel Thornton, Organized For Life Social media links directly to this page are encouraged!
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]]>https://www.org4life.com/always-believe/feed/234418Top 10 Reasons Why Genealogy is for Everybody!https://www.org4life.com/genealogy-everybody/
https://www.org4life.com/genealogy-everybody/#commentsMon, 22 Oct 2018 14:28:40 +0000http://www.org4life.com/?p=8113What comes to mind when you hear the word “genealogy”? Does it sound boring and time-consuming? Or, does it sound

What comes to mind when you hear the word “genealogy”? Does it sound boring and time-consuming? Or, does it sound fascinating in the same way that solving a mystery or reading a historical novel can be?

Pedigree charts might sound fancy, but they’re really just family trees. If you think pedigrees are just for royalty, dogs, and horses, think again!

Pedigrees are just family trees. And genealogy is for everybody!Click To Tweet

Here are the top 10 reasons why genealogy might be for you:

Genealogy is fascinating and fun! Do you like puzzles? Mysteries? History? Family? No wonder it’s the #2 hobby in America! (Can you guess what #1 is? Keep reading to see if you are right.)

It can bring your family closer together. Share your research (and photos and stories) with your family. Interview your elders before it’s too late. Teach your children about history in a personal way.

It combines well with other hobbies and interests such as reading, writing, travel, photography, geography, history, sociology, scrapbooking, etc.

It will probably inspire you to organize your photos and keepsakes, as well as your vital documents (birth, marriage, and death certificates) and other important items. (HINT: You should organize your family history even if you don’t care about genealogy per se.)

It’s free! Or, at least, it can be. Genealogy is available to anyone at any budget, including lots of free online resources. Try familysearch.org, google.com, and cyndislist.com for starters. Also, don’t forget free brick-and-mortar libraries, including LDS Family History Centers, which are open to the public. Here’s a free Family Group Sheet to get you started. HINT: Start with yourself and work backwards in time, one branch at a time.

You can put your own twist on it. Did you know there are people who specialize in specific regions, ethnic groups, or religions? Some researchers focus on one-name studies (e.g. all Thorntons, related or not), or they specialize in military history, adoption, or property records (think house detective)! Such specialties can apply to professionals and amateurs alike.

You can do it yourself. Or, DIY with a little help. Read Puzzling Out Your Family History to learn about the pleasures and pitfalls of doing genealogy research. Even if you are already the family historian you might need some help organizing your photos and records.

]]>https://www.org4life.com/genealogy-everybody/feed/148113Do you need to change your settings?https://www.org4life.com/change-your-settings/
https://www.org4life.com/change-your-settings/#commentsMon, 15 Oct 2018 15:03:30 +0000http://www.org4life.com/?p=2357I’ve been thinking about how life is no different from technology. In what way, you ask? When we have a

When we have a problem it’s often just a matter of changing our settings.

We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are. – Anais Nin

Do you need therapy? Or do you just need to change your settings?Click To Tweet

Tech Settings

In technology we have settings and preferences we can set for everything from font size and color, privacy, security, reach (friends only vs public), notifications (whether and how), etc. These settings can have a profound effect on our experience of programs, apps, and social media. It can really cause problems, in fact, if we don’t even realize we have a choice of settings, or have a clue how to change them.

Example: Overwhelmed by junk email? How much of it was self-induced by signing up for newsletters and webinars, and by ordering things online? Do you realize that you can unsubscribe, filter, and create rules so that unwanted emails don’t clutter your inbox? In other words: Change your settings!

Example: Are you paranoid about people you aren’t friends with seeing your social media posts? Annoyed by what you are seeing in your news feed? Plagued by notifications or silly game requests? It doesn’t have to be that way. Change your settings!

Life Settings

Similarly, in life we have preconceived notions, learned behaviors, prejudices, preferences, and knowledge gained from past experiences that color how we see the world now. These will also affect our future life experiences. And many of these “settings” can be changed.

Example: Have you heard the cutting-the-ham-in-half story? It goes like this: Wife cuts the ham in half before baking it in two pans. Husband asks, “Why?” Wife says, “I don’t know, my Mom always did it that way, let’s ask her.” Mom says, “I don’t know, Grandma always did it that way, let’s ask her.” Grandma says, “Because I didn’t have a big enough pan to fit a whole ham!” Ohhh…what if the reason you are doing certain things is based on what someone else did, and you don’t even know why? Change your settings!

Sometimes we just need an attitude adjustment or a flip of a technology switch; and sometimes we need therapy.

Actually… MOST of my blog posts have something to do with tweaking the way you look at things!

Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change. – Wayne Dyer

But how?

1. First you need to understand and believe that your settings (and thoughts) can be changed.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right. — Henry Ford

2. Then you need to know how to check your settings. Often simply stopping for a moment and thinking it through will do the trick. Examine your thoughts, or explore the buttons on your tech device that you tend to avoid or never noticed before. Ask for help from your computer guru, tech savvy teenager, trusted friend, adviser, organizer, or therapist.

3. Check them periodically. Things change. Technology changes. Circumstances change. You change. You may need to re-set something you thought was already set, or change the setting (or thought) altogether. Make another choice and see if that works better for you.

4. Remember: If something is annoying you, it might just be a matter of identifying which setting needs to be changed. Even thinking through a household organizing system requires a few moments of reflection and a little (or a lot of) tweaking. It’s easy for us to get distracted and overwhelmed, and to delay focusing on the solution to a problem.

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. – Albert Einstein

]]>https://www.org4life.com/change-your-settings/feed/42357Organizing to De-Stress in Stressful Timeshttps://www.org4life.com/organizing-stressful-times/
https://www.org4life.com/organizing-stressful-times/#commentsSun, 30 Sep 2018 23:58:41 +0000https://www.org4life.com/?p=10797These are stressful times. It’s been an intense week for the whole country. OK… it’s been a stressful couple of

These are stressful times. It’s been an intense week for the whole country. OK… it’s been a stressful couple of years!

And I think we’re all feeling it one way or another.

Are you remembering to take care of yourself?

I forget sometimes, so I’m writing this for myself as much as for you.

Organizing to de-stress means planning what you will do for yourself in stressful times.Click To Tweet

Here are my suggestions:

Control What You Can

Worrying is a form of mental clutter. And it’s a waste of time and energy to worry about things we can’t control. If you can do something about it – great! Take action! If nothing else, you can create a calm space in your home by decluttering. We all have different comfort levels, but if you look around and your stuff makes you anxious, it’s time to do something about it.

Create Systems & Routines

Systems make your life easier. It’s nice to have things on autopilot and not have to reinvent the wheel each time a task needs doing. Unless, of course, you are over-organized and your systems are too complicated. Simplify where necessary. Ask for help if you need it!

Get Back on Track

Here are a few things that can derail your otherwise functional routine: illness (physical and mental); travel (work or pleasure); and being glued to the TV news for a few days straight. A soon as you return, recover, or tear yourself away from the TV, focus on getting back on track without beating yourself up. Schedule time to get things done AND relax.

Enjoy Relaxing Activities

When you are stressed it’s sometimes hard to think of what will make it better. Why not make a checklist to help you remember your choices? Read a good book? Drink a cup of hot tea? Spend time in nature? Play with your kids or pets? Enjoy a hobby? Call a friend? Coloring book? Hot tub? Massage? Yoga?

Be Grateful, and other mushy stuff

Seriously — for a little vacation from what’s NOT working, focus on what IS working. Make a list of things you are grateful for. Read the notes in your Gratitude Box. Help someone else. Volunteer. Pray. Remember to always believe in yourself.

Focus on Your Health

And yes, of course…..eat healthy foods, get enough quality sleep, and exercise…you know the drill!

]]>https://www.org4life.com/organizing-stressful-times/feed/510797Organize Your Facebook News Feed for Serenity Now!https://www.org4life.com/facebook-news-feed/
https://www.org4life.com/facebook-news-feed/#commentsMon, 27 Aug 2018 19:39:48 +0000http://www.org4life.com/?p=10676Are you feeling like you have no control over what you see in your Facebook News Feed? Are you on

The Social Media Serenity Prayer will help you through tough times!Click To Tweet

Forgive Facebook, for they know not what they do.

It’s extremely popular to ascribe all manner of nefarious motives to what Facebook does and doesn’t do. But think about it. This thing is so huge, and has so many moving parts, who could possibly predict the outcome of every single feature and setting and how it will affect all 2.23 BILLION users?

The Facebook algorithm – the proprietary set of internal calculations that determines what you see in your News Feed — changes constantly. Yes, they err sometimes in their effort to maximize user engagement…while staying out of trouble… while maximizing profits.

But compare that to what you get out of it:

Connection to local and distant friends and family

World and local news

Exposure to music and visual arts

Business referrals

Organizing tips (or whatever sort of tips you’re interested in)

Ways to engage in social, political, and environmental reform

Special interest groups

Current events and popular culture

Adorable inter-species animal friendship videos

What’s your favorite thing about Facebook? Tell us in the comments!

A current meme is making the rounds, claiming that Facebook limits you to seeing posts from only 26 of your friends. While that meme offers a bogus solution to a bogus problem — according to me and Snopes — it IS true that you don’t see EVERYTHING in your News Feed. And sometimes you don’t see ANYTHING from certain people you love and pages you like. What’s up with that? (Keep reading!)

I am convinced that Facebook is right about one thing: if they showed you EVERY post from EVERY person you are friends with, and EVERY page you have ever liked, you would be completely overwhelmed and equally as frustrated as you are now. This would not be true of ALL people, of course, but it would certainly apply to me, and probably to you, too.

It’s like the old Steven Wright joke:

“You can’t have everything. Where would you put it?”

How to see what you really want in your Facebook News Feed:

Caveats:

This post is geared to computers. Many of these tips also apply to the app on your phone, but it will look different there.

These tips may not work 100% of the time. I have a favorite Page, for example, that I have designated as See First (Tip #5 below), but that I never actually see first. They work 95% of the time, though. Give them a try!

ALWAYS click the little down-arrow (V) to see what else is on the menu! Also the 3 little dots (…) which mean there’s more!

There are lots of ways to do most everything on Facebook. There simply isn’t space for all of them in this blog post! Feel free to share your favorite tips in the comment section.

Navigational basics:

Click the Home link at the top of every Facebook page to access your News Feed. (Um, why don’t they just call it News Feed?)

Click your own name or profile image to access your own Profile/Timeline. (This should be called Home, in my opinion, but Facebook hasn’t consulted me on that.)

To access a friend’s Profile/Timeline, or a business Page you like, just search for their name in the search bar. Or, if you see them in your News Feed, click on their profile image or name.

To see posts from more of your Friends:

Interact with their posts: The Facebook algorithm is looking to see which friends you are most interested in. You can be utterly fascinated in your mind, and you can tell your friend so in person, but Facebook won’t know it if you never click Like, leave a comment, or share a friend’s posts! If a friend has fallen off your News Feed, go directly to their Profile/Timeline to see if they’ve been posting lately. If they have, interact with a few of their posts to remind Facebook (and your friend) of your interest. If they haven’t…well, it might be time to give them a call!

Choose Most Recent: Check to see if your News Feed is set to Top Stories or Most Recent. Top Stories are the most popular ones with the most interaction. But what if your favorite friends don’t get a lot of interaction? Most Recent will show you the most recent posts first. Why it constantly switches back to Top Stories, I couldn’t tell you. Just keep it in mind, and switch it back if you prefer Most Recent like I do.

Follow your best friends: Just because you are friends doesn’t mean you are Following them. And, if you aren’t Following them, you won’t see them in your News Feed. It’s easy to check: Find your friend’s Profile/Timeline and look for the status buttons as shown below. (P.S. Search Facebook Help for “refollow” for instructions on how to find a list of friends you may have unfollowed.)

Choose who to See First: In the previous example, I am just Following my friend. In this example I have chosen to see their posts first. NOTE: You are limited to 30 friends to See First. This is NOT, however, the same thing as the Facebook meme claiming they are limiting you to seeing 26 friends in your News Feed!

Check your list of Friends: You can see each individual’s status at a glance. In this example, Friend 1 has been designated an Acquaintance. (That little symbol makes me think “business contact”.) Friend 2 is just a friend, and has not been added to a List. Friend 3, however, has not only been added to my Close Friends list, but I have also elected to Get Notifications when they post, so I don’t miss anything!

Other types of Lists: I have played around with Lists in the past, but it turns out I never use them anymore, so I’m not going to dwell on them here. Their purpose is to segregate your friends so that you can send a post only to that list, or view posts only from the friends on that list. You can search Facebook Help for “friend list” (<– or click here) to learn more.

To see posts from your favorite Pages:

Don’t miss posts from your favorite Pages!

Check to see if you are Following them.

Consider turning on Notifications and electing to See First.

Interact with their posts. The Facebook algorithm is looking to see which pages you are most interested in. You can be utterly fascinated in your mind, and you can tell them so in person, but Facebook won’t know it if you never like, comment, or share a page’s posts!

OK, you’re not going to like what I have to say about this. You probably want a list of apps that remove ads altogether. And if YOU would like to recommend such apps, you are free to do so in the comment section. But, well, ads don’t really bother me, and I mostly just ignore them. I don’t begrudge Facebook from trying to make a living in order to provide a free service that I enjoy. I don’t pay any attention to the ads – that is, UNLESS THEY ARE DIRECTLY IN MY NEWS FEED. Ads off to the side, fine, whatever.

Here’s what you need to know about the ads in your News Feed:

Read the fine print at the top of the post. If it says “Suggested Post” or “Sponsored”, it’s an ad. If it says that one or more of your friends likes a company, it’s an ad for that company, NOT a post that your friend has necessarily seen, much less approved of, or shared with you.

Here’s an ad for Vistaprint that totally looks like an ad. (Some look more like articles.) And who doesn’t like Vistaprint? But if you get tired of seeing the same ad over and over, click the three little dots in the upper right-hand corner for more options.

Please don’t leave!

If you were to leave Facebook I would miss you! And so would all my introverted friends!

So, what was the problem?

Last year, between Mother’s Day (May 14) and Mom’s Birthday (October 10), we took our time opening all 33 moving boxes in his backyard shed. We dusted them off, sorted, purged, and combined their contents into somewhat smaller, new storage boxes with lids. We put a few of them back in the shed for long-term storage, and the rest migrated over to my house. And there they sit. To be fair, this was the same year that something completely unexpected resurfaced in my life. You know the saying: Life is what happens when you’re making other plans!

Meanwhile, my garage (which I remodeled years ago as guest quarters and storage) was not only full of Mom’s Boxes, but getting more cluttered by the month with Christmas decorations, shipping boxes, clothing donations, you name it. Even if I wanted to work on the photos and other memorabilia there was no space to do it!

Sometimes organizers need help too!

I knew what needed to be done, of course. I am a professional after all! But…well…(and where have I heard this before?)…I wasn’t getting around to it on my own. So, I accepted the offer of a friend and NAPO colleague to come help me out. I’ll be returning the favor soon by helping her organize her home office. We’ve done this before, back when we, and a couple of our other local colleagues, got certified in Home Staging and Interior Redesign. We took turns being the client, to the point of leaving while the others redesigned a room in our home, returning later for the big reveal. It was an eye-opening experience to be the client, and also really fun.

When Leigh Ann Hensel showed up at my house I asked her to treat me like she would treat any of her clients. She wasn’t sure if that’s what I’d want, or if I’d have a plan in mind and she would just help.

As it turned out…

We had lots of fun working together, and got lots done!

Leigh Ann was the perfect organizer for me. But then, I already knew and liked her personality and style from being friends and working with her on group organizing projects.

We agreed I was the best client ever in terms of being agreeable and getting rid of almost everything she suggested I might not need anymore. (There were only a few things I hadn’t already considered parting with.)

Before the week was over I had loaded up all the donations into my car and taken them to Goodwill like I promised I would.

I broke down all the empty boxes and loaded up my recycle bin twice, over the next two weeks.

I still haven’t worked on Mom’s Boxes but now there’s room when I’m ready.

Storage area BEFORE: That’s a real garage door that opens and, even though it turned out I love parking in my carport, I really do need to go in and out this way sometimes. Talk about claustrophobic!

Storage area AFTER: I got rid of a lot of organizing supplies I’d kept (and where have I heard this before?) — just in case a client needed them — but had never ended up using, to make room for the brown boxes to sit on shelves, and not on the ground.

Car full of donations on their way to Goodwill. Except for the bucket marked Cleaning Supplies. I forgot they don’t take cleaning supplies.

See those folding chairs lined up on the left? There are 4 brown ones in front of 2 blue ones. I had the brown ones in another room which was feeling crowded as a result. Leigh Ann saw the blue ones (which I had put there myself) and suggested, “Um….why don’t we put the brown ones there too?” Duh! (Picture me smacking my head like I could have had a V-8.) How did I not think of that myself? We had a good laugh over that one!

What needs organizing at your house? Please share in the comments below!

Do you need help? Call me, or a friend, or a NAPO or APPO or PONM organizer near you! (I know I’m not the only organizer who has needed help, because I’ve been hired by more than a few of them over the years!)

]]>https://www.org4life.com/sometimes-organizers-need-help/feed/510562Do You Follow Doctor’s Orders?https://www.org4life.com/doctors-orders/
https://www.org4life.com/doctors-orders/#commentsMon, 23 Jul 2018 13:53:41 +0000http://www.org4life.com/?p=2112I twisted my knee last fall. (Note: This post was originally written in 2013, but now I’m working on rehabbing

I twisted my knee last fall. (Note: This post was originally written in 2013, but now I’m working on rehabbing my ankle.) I saw a doctor for knee pain and was already on a Rx anti-inflammatory, which masked the symptoms and made it seem not bad enough to see the doctor again. But a few months later it still hurt, so I finally went to see a specialist. The MRI confirmed some arthritis and a torn meniscus (but not bad enough to warrant surgery). I was prescribed a number of things to do.

Doctor’s orders

Continue losing weight. (Yay for 30 lbs., but I have a long ways to go.)

Take joint supplements (CosaminDS, if you want to know.)

Get a series of 3 gel injections (Euflexxa)

Water exercise and/or bike riding (I’m a fair weather biker, and the weather’s been great!)

Several sessions with a physical therapist, who in turn prescribed:

New shoes with new orthotic inserts (even though I thought I had perfectly good ones already)

Stretching and strengthening exercises

These To-Do’s are not in order of importance, because it was (and still is, for most of them) important that I do them ALL. What good are supplements if I continue to carry excess weight? Why subject myself to gel injections if I’m not going to get new, more supportive shoes? What is the point of seeing a physical therapist if I’m not going to do the exercises? (Note: I’ve slacked off on the exercises, and therefore guess what? I can feel it. When I do everything, though, I feel no pain at all.)

Organizer’s orders

My point? When I work with an organizing client I “prescribe” a number of things, including: determining goals and priorities; sorting and purging possessions; creating homes for everything and labeling containers; being mindful of bringing new items into the home; and dedicating time each day and week to using and maintaining their new systems.

Why sort and purge if you are just going to keep shopping and overflowing your containers? Why organize if you aren’t going to maintain your nice new uncluttered space? How are you going to “find” the time to do the things that are important to you if you never pause to plan your schedule?